Signed: Ryland Gandy

As with most of its recruiting class of 2022, Pitt hosted Ryland Gandy for an official visit in June. The Buford (Ga.) cornerback prospect was in the midst of a three-school run of official visits, having visited West Virginia before Pitt and a planned trip to Virginia after seeing the Panthers.

But when he got home from his Pitt official visit, Gandy and his father had a conversation and realized that the answer was obvious.

“It was just the perfect fit for me,” Gandy told Panther-Lair.com after he committed to Pitt. “I was there with my dad and my sister and my dad saw very few flaws in the school, both academically and athletically. And I saw everything I wanted to see.

“It’s a beautiful city, the staff was very welcoming, the players were very welcoming and I feel like I could fit in well with that program.”

In addition to WVU and Virginia, Gandy also had. Offers from Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, UCF, USC and Virginia Tech.

As a target for cornerbacks coach Archie Collins, Gandy has a background playing press-man coverage, which should make his transition to Pitt’s defense a smooth one. He and his Buford teammates finished the 2022 season with a nail-biter of a state championship win, defeating Langston Hughes 21-20 last Friday night for their third consecutive state title.